Island Design Ideas - List Of Island Themes | Animal Crossing (ACNH) - GameWith (2024)

Check out this Animal Crossing New Horizons (ACNH) guide for island ideas! Get inspiration for island (town) design, design tips, & learn how to transform your island layout!!

Island Designs - Where To Begin?

Recommended Places To Build In Your Town

So, you want to do something more with your island - that's great! But, maybe you're at a loss for where to start, or maybe you're just lacking the proper inspiration to get you started on a new design adventure. If you're looking for ideas on what else you could add to your island, we recommend building two very basic sections first: A Residential District and an Orchard.

Make A Residential District

A Residential District is essentially an area where you place the houses of all your villagers. Concentrating all residences in one area is a good way to stimulate your island's social scene - it will probably increase your likelihood of talking to your neighbors! This is also a relatively quick process, so we recommend this for those not sure of what to do next on their island.

▼Check out more info on Residential Districts below

Set Up An Orchard

An Orchard can be a location where you plant or relocate tons of fruit trees for easy harvesting access. This process makes your fruit gathering far more efficient, and is visually quite appealing to boot! All you need to do this is fruit trees, making it a very easy task to jump into as a beginner.

▼Check out more info on Orchards below

Residential District Design Idea

Easily Keep Track Of Your Villagers

Placing all of your villager houses in one centralized area will reduce your movement time and ultimately make your daily conversation routine much smoother!

Check Out Our Residential District Building Guide

Orchard Design Idea

Easy & Efficient Fruit Gathering

Creating an Orchard will make your life a lot easier when it comes to gathering fruit! Never again will you ask yourself "wait, where was that pear tree again?" - everything will be neatly concentrated in one area. If you sometimes forget to pick fruit from your trees, this method may actually also effectively end up making you more money!

Check Out Our Orchard Building Guide

Quarry/Rock Garden Design Idea

Efficient Stone Gathering Spot

A quarry is simply a place for you to place your island's 6 rocks for easy and efficient gathering! And that's not all - you can actually also cause your island's fossils to spawn in this location too, which will no doubt impact your Museum progress!

> How To Make A Quarry/Rock Garden

Set The Location Of Trees And Bottles

Aside from rocks and fossils, it's actually also possible to fix the location of trees and message bottles! Since you can get furniture and DIY recipes from these, this can also seriously improve your efficiency. Note that these methods take a bit of time, however.

> How To Set The Location Of Trees
> How To Set The Location Of Bottles

Japanese Themed Island Design

Japanese "Zen" Town

A fan of eastern architecture? Well, as it turns out New Horizons is chock full of Japanese-style furniture and clothes, which means if you put your mind to it you can create a wonderful "Zen" paradise!

Check Out Our Japanese Town Design Guide

Flower Field

Flower Bed/Flower Garden

Keeping all your flowers in one neat little area not only has the aesthetic advantage of making your island look stylish, but it also lets you catch bugs that spawn on flowers much easier! Consider making one for your island!

Check Out Our Flower Field Guide

Bathhouse Design

How To Build A Hot Spring

Speaking of Japanese-inspired designs, how about creating a bathhouse for your island's residents to relax after a hard day of ... well they might not exactly work but they'll surely appreciate a good hot spring!

Check Out Our Hot Spring Guide Here

Street Market Design

A Lively Street Stall District

Another idea is to create a road on your island and line it with tons of colorful street vendors! You can customize stalls to your liking and place small objects on the stalls to make your town look like it has a booming economy!

Check Our Street Stall Market Guide

Tropical Island Resort

Vacation Resort Getaway

It's true that you're already on a "vacation" of sorts, but why not make a getaway within a getaway and create a tropical resort area somewhere on your island? Decorate the area with palm trees, hang hammocks, and have easy access to the beach for a perfect recreational area!

Check Out Our Tropical Resort Guide Here

Outdoor Cafe

Have A Drink And Relax

Why not set up a cozy cafe where your villagers can congregate to gossip over fancy espressos? An outdoor cafe might be just what your island needs!

Check Out Our Cafe Guide Here

Park/Playground Design

A Spot For All To Play

If you're lacking recreational spots on your island, it might be worth setting up a small park! Set up some equipment, a jungle gym, or maybe a sandbox and add a family-friendly aura to your island!

Check Out Our Park/Playground Guide

Medieval Castle

Fortify Your Island

Want to make your island a more medieval looking place? You've already got king-like authority so you might as well make yourself a castle! Set up an entrance to your castle - you can also choose to make yourself a Daimyo and build up a cool Japanese style castle too!

Check Out Our Castle Guide

Theme Park

Add A Little Amusem*nt To Your Island

Although there is certainly a lack of theme park rides such as Roller Coasters and Ferris Wheels, you can still put together an awesome smaller scale amusem*nt park using existing furniture!

Check Out Our Theme Park Guide

Wedding Hall Design

Get Married In-Game!

June is the official Wedding Season Month, so you might as well use all the Wedding-related Furniture you're getting to make a wedding hall on your island! Then, invite a friend to your island and have your own ceremony!

Check Out Our Wedding Hall Guide

Pond Designs

Add Some Splash To Your Island

If you feel your island is lacking in blue, why not add some ponds? You can make them in different ways - you have heart-shaped ponds, clover shaped, crescent shaped, and more!

Check Out Our Pond Design Guide

Beach Area Designs

Feel The Summer Heat

Can't feel the summer heat? Create a beach area so you can swim and interact with your friends and villagers with this summer themed ideas.

Check Out Our Beach Design Guide

Summer Festival Designs

Experience A Japanese Matsuri

Celebrate the hot summer by creating a Japanese-style festival in your island. Make use of Stalls and fences to create a huge festival Turret that will surely be a great photo spot in your island.

Check Out Our Summer Festival Guide

Island Design Tips

Plan Out The Structure First

Island design is a large undertaking - it's important to get a mental picture of your island's structure first before starting. Try drawing it on a piece of paper in front of you - plan exactly where you'll move all important facilities first!

Get Inspiration From Others

There are heaps of people out there also making unique islands of their own. The best way to get ideas on what to do is to browse social media or forums for design ideas. When you see something you'd like to try, or a custom design you'd like to use, go for it! However, we encourage you to be respectful with how you use the designs of others!

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